Comment on U.S., Australia rebuff China over South China Sea

It’s not easy being Japan’s Prime Minister. Though the center-right Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) has dominated the country’s politics for nearly seven decades, the top job has frequently changed hands. Fumio Kishida is just the third leader in the past quartercentury to last at least two years. Yet once again, change is coming. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] His weakness is obvious.

Just days after the inauguration of Taiwan’s new President William Lai Ching-te, of the Beijing-skeptical Democratic Progressive Party, China initiated surprise military drills around the self-governed island it claims as its own. The People’s Liberation Army described the exercises, which included sending naval ships and warplanes into the Taiwan Strait and launching target strikes on areas surrounding the island, as “a strong punishment for the separatist acts of Taiwan independence forces.” [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] Taiwan’s government was quick to condemn the show of force, which its defense ministry condemned as “irrational provocations” that “undermine regional peace and stability.” China’s actions also notably drew a response from Taiwan’s more Beijing-friendly Nationalist Party, or Kuomintang (KMT), which urged “the other side of the Taiwan Strait to exercise restraint.” The party said in a statement that Taiwan’s defense ministry should “respond rigorously” to the exercises and called on the Chinese Communist Party to “stop unnecessary measures, avoid conflicts across the Taiwan Strait, and cherish the results of cross-Strait peaceful development.” The KMT is widely regarded as pro-China, but it has tried to move away from that image in a bid to win back popular support as the Taiwanese public largely prefers maintaining the status quo more than either outright independence or unification.

Thailand’s Constitutional Court accepted a petition by a group of senators seeking to remove Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin on ethical grounds but allowed the premier to perform his duties until it ruled on the case. The court will scrutinize the plea by 40 senators that Srettha’s decision to appoint Pichit Chuenban as a cabinet minister last month had constituted a serious violation of ethical standards under the constitution, the court said in a statement on Thursday. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] Read More: The Thai Activist-Turned-Politician Who’s Bringing the Protest to Parliament The court voted six to three to accept the petition for consideration whether Srettha should be removed from duties, while voting five to four against suspending his duties in the meantime.

China, Japan and South Korea are set to hold their first summit in more than four years, with a gathering in Seoul next week for talks that offer the neighbors a chance to manage their relations amid heightened tensions between Washington and Beijing. Chinese Premier Li Qiang, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol will attend the summit on Sunday and Monday, an official for Yoon’s office said Thursday, according to Yonhap News.

MEXICO CITY — Mexico’s president confirmed Wednesday night that the collapse of a stage during a campaign rally in northern Mexico has killed four people and injured 15. The stage collapse, caused by a strong gust of wind, occurred during an event attended by presidential long-shot candidate Jorge Álvarez Máynez, who was sent flying by the wind. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said he “sends a hug to family members, friends of the victims and political supporters.” Lamento el accidente en San Pedro Garza García, causado por un fuerte viento durante el acto al que asistieron Jorge Álvarez Máynez, candidato a la presidencia por Movimiento Ciudadano y otros militantes, dirigentes y candidatos de ese partido.

A new portrait of Kate Middleton, the Princess of Wales, was unveiled on Wednesday to a mixed reaction from the public. The portrait, painted by the British-Zambian artist Hannah Uzor and published on the cover of Tatler magazine’s July issue, depicts the princess wearing a floor-length Jenny Packham white dress with a blue ribbon wrapped around her that she wore to a state banquet in 2022.